Syndicated Columnists

OPINION: Rudy Giuliani contends the president is failing to talk about the good things about America

Rudy Giuliani feels unloved. And he suggests you should feel that way, too, thanks to a compliment deficit from our cheerleader in chief. I think it’s about … the dangerous way in which politicians, and many of their constituents, mistake flattery for love.

OPINION: Lawmakers are considering a resolution asking that the test be expelled from Georgia classrooms

The authors of the test say the AP U.S. History course is an advanced, college-level course — not an introductory U.S. history course — and is not meant to be students’ first exposure to the “fundamental narrative of U.S. history.” I think that is education-speak for saying kids should already know about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and Ray Charles.

OPINION: Some officials want to ban courses they see as being critical of America

It seems strange to organize an educational system around what can’t be taught to children. But for large chunks of the country, this is exactly how public educational standards seem to be set: by demarcating and preserving blind spots rather than promoting enlightenment.

OPINION: Take what you know and forget it; it is wrong

Just when we think we have it all figured out, somebody comes along with information suggesting we’re so off the mark, we might have taken the neighbor’s car to work, slept with our cousin and brushed our teeth with kitchen cleanser.

OPINION: Obama administration official Marie Harf is the latest proof of incompetent hirings by White House

After watching barbaric ISIS armies sweeping across the deserts of the Middle East and slaughtering innocents by the thousands for purely religious reasons, the Obama administration apparently thinks one of the root causes that lead people to join terrorist groups is a lack of good job opportunities.

OPINION: Faith is more than a comforting bromide

Twenty-one Egyptian Coptic Christians were slaughtered on a beach in Libya. And even in his mourning, the brother of two of them gave thanks. Who would have an ounce of gratitude at such a moment? Someone who has hope, hope of something real and eternal.

OPINION: Our system of government by proxy is often comfortable with high levels of fraud

American politics has been dominated by a debate on the size and role of the federal government, an argument that has often lacked one element: actual knowledge about the size and role of the federal government.

OPINION: Students increasingly cite career goals as the reason they are going to college

Given students’ stated objectives for going to college, persistently high youth unemployment rates, and employer complaints about grads’ lack of preparation for the workforce, it seems reasonable to ask colleges to think harder about the practical skills and career guidance they’re giving their students

OPINION: Brian Williams advanced his brand at the expense of virtues

The real reason Brian Williams became what he has become is that he’s the latest example of someone whose career advanced because of solid journalistic or pundit qualities, which were changed by his weakness and our 21st century media culture.

OPINION: Asked in the U.K. about evolution, Walker made unwanted headlines by punting on the subject

Remarkably, for a man who has run for high office, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker didn’t have a ready-to-repeat answer on evolution. His staff didn’t even know his views before drafting the statement saying Walker found faith and science compatible.